


i wanna dance with somebody

by electraheathens



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Bill and Stan are precious, Boys In Love, Fluff, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Prom, lowkey angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2019-01-10 11:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12298719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/electraheathens/pseuds/electraheathens
Summary: richie wants to dance with eddie kaspbrak





	i wanna dance with somebody

Prom.

Richie’s least favorite time of year.

School dances weren’t fun. He didn’t have anyone to take with him.

If anyone - outside of the Losers Club - found out he was gay, he’d be subjected to eternal bullying.

Not just at school. Derry was a small town, and in small towns, news spreads fast.

Everyone would know, and everyone wouldn’t accept him for who he was.

Because that’s how it is in small towns like Derry. Small towns sometimes come with small minded people.

So he didn’t ask anyone on a date to prom. The Losers Club had decided to go all together as friends. Except for Ben and Beverly, who were going together.

The other two people going as a date were Bill and Stan. Of course, they wouldn’t actually be able to show that to the entire school, but it was like a little secret among the Losers.

Bill and Stan had started dating less than a year after the Pennywise incident. Bill had wanted to make sure that Stan wasn’t alone, and that he had people who truly cared about him. The whole group had promised they would never leave him again.

Out of all the Losers, Stan and Eddie had been the most traumatized. They both had come out with injuries and memories they would never forget.

Richie wanted to do the same for Eddie.

He had no idea how the smaller boy would react if he confessed how he really felt.

He had seen Eddie wake up gasping during sleepovers. He just wanted to hold him tightly, kiss his forehead, assure him everything would be okay.

But he didn’t know if Eddie felt the same way.

Richie had been crushing on him for a pretty long time. At this point, it wasn’t a crush.

Richie would go as far to say that he was in love with none other than Eddie Kaspbrak.

“Richie?” a voice asked, snapping him back to reality.

He looked up to see a very concerned Eddie staring down at him.

“Yeah?” Richie responded, getting off Bill’s couch. “Where’s everybody?”

“Outside. Bill’s parents are about to take pictures. Why did you stay in the living room?”

“Oh, I was just fantasizing about what I’ll do to your mom tonight, Eds,” Richie said, a mischievous sparkle in his eye.

“Don’t call me Eds.” Eddie rolled his eyes and turned away, heading towards the porch.

Richie couldn’t help but think how stunning he looked in a suit.

•••

The seven Losers piled into Bill’s father’s van. All of them were buzzing excitedly, talking about what they’d do at prom.

Richie spotted Stan and Bill in the backseat, and he noticed that their hands were intertwined. They both looked very happy.

He couldn’t help but smile softly. The two boys were obviously in love.

He wanted that. He felt a bit of jealousy rising in his stomach.

He wanted to hold Eddie’s hand.

Lost in his thoughts again, Richie vaguely registered that _I Wanna Hold Your Hand_ by _The Beatles_ was on the radio.

That song really fit his situation at the moment.

Eddie slid in next to him, shutting the car door.   
“You excited?” he asked, smiling. 

Richie felt his heart flutter. “Yeah, yeah, I am,” he lied.

The car ride seemed too short. Bill’s dad parked in front of the school doors, and the group piled out, waving goodbye.

The warm June air felt good. Summer was so close, Richie couldn’t wait.

School coming to an end was a bad thing in some ways. The Losers would probably part ways, going to different places for college.

Richie hoped he stayed with Eddie.

He shook those bad thoughts away, and looked around at his group of friends.

Richie had to admit, the Losers looked pretty good. Bev had shown up in a sparkly blue dress, her short hair framing her face perfectly.

She walked up the steps, her arm linked with Ben’s, her dress trailing behind her.

Ben had gotten much taller since freshman year, and looked really good in his navy suit.

Eddie was wearing a gray tux, and Richie had been stunned at how good he looked.

Mike had transferred from homeschool to the Derry high school three years ago, and the white suit he wore suited him (no pun intended) very well.

Stan and Bill were walking side by side, in black tuxes.

Richie had shown up in a maroon colored suit, which Eddie had complimented.

He swore his cheeks had turned a shade close to maroon.

The Losers stepped through the front doors of the school.

Richie couldn’t help but be nervous. Senior prom was supposedly a very important night of a teenager’s life.

And he was going to spend it sulking in the corner because he was never going to get the boy he loved.

Loud music drifted through the hallways. Richie could faintly hear Hit Me With Your Best Shot playing.

The Losers stepped into the gym. The room was illuminated with a disco ball. Teenagers crowded the dance floor, all in dresses and suits. There was a large table to the side with refreshments.

“Wanna dance?” Ben asked. Beverly nodded, and the two blended into the crowd.

The remaining Losers walked around the gym, drinking punch and talking.

Soon enough, Mike disappeared somewhere with Bill and Stan, leaving Richie left alone with Eddie.

“Hey, Eddie?” Richie asked after awhile of silence. The two boys had sat in metal fold up chairs, staring at the crowd of dancers.

_I Wanna Dance With Somebody_ by _Whitney Houston_ was blasting in the gym. The lyrics sparked an idea in Richie’s head.

“Let’s get outta here.”

•••  
Richie dragged Eddie through the empty hallways, searching for a place they could hide. He spotted a janitor’s closet, and he practically shoved the other boy in there.

He fumbled in the darkness, searching for the light switch. He finally found it, and the small closet was flooded with light.

Eddie flashed him a confused look. “What are we-“

“Shhh!” Richie pressed a finger to his lips. “Listen.”

So Eddie listened. He could hear the ending of _I Wanna Dance With Somebody_ playing in the distance.

“You hear that?” Richie asked.

Eddie nodded.

“I wanna dance with somebody. And that somebody is you.”

He grabbed Eddie’s hand, pulling him forward. He placed his hand on his hip.

Eddie relaxed into the position, placing his hand on Richie’s shoulder.

_Time After Time_ by _Cindi Lauper_ started to play.

Richie smiled, swaying to the music.   
“The perfect slow dance song.”

Eddie still looked confused. Oh, how oblivious he could be. He didn’t hesitate, though. He swayed along with Richie, being careful to not bump into any mops.

_“If you fall I will catch you.”_ Richie sang along quietly.

Richie pushed Eddie away, holding his hand.

_“I’ll be waiting.”_

He drew Eddie in a bit closer.

_“Time after time.”_

He pulled Eddie as close as he possibly could, leaning down for a gentle kiss.

He loved the feeling. His heart was pounding so loudly, he swore Eddie could hear it, feel it, beating against his chest.

Eddie positioned his arms around Richie’s shoulders, leaning into the kiss.

Richie found his hands embedded in Eddie’s soft brown hair.

“I love you,” Richie mumbled breathlessly.

“I love you too,” Eddie replied softly, his breath tickling Richie’s lips.

They stayed like that, in that janitor's closet, dancing to songs drifting in through the vents, sharing kisses, and talking quietly.

•••

They caught up with the other Losers just as prom ended.

“W-where d-d-did you t-two d-d-disappear to?” Bill asked.

“I could ask the same of you,” Richie said. “You left us like ten minutes after we arrived!”

Stan blushed. “Sorry guys. We just wanted to enjoy prom where no one could see us.”

Richie smiled, remembering what had happened less than an hour ago.

“We understand,” Eddie said.

“W-we?” Bill teased.

“Let me guess - you and Richie were up to something by yourselves as well?” Stan added.

Mike scoffed. “C’mon guys - we knew they were gonna get together at _some_ point.”

“Yeah. Took you guys long enough!” Bev laughed.

Richie and Eddie blushed, but were saved from the endless teasing when Bill’s dad honked his horn.

This time, Eddie and Richie sat in the backseat.

Richie made sure his hand was tightly intertwined with Eddie’s the whole drive home.

 

**Author's Note:**

> reddie is such a cute ship, i adore writing it :)


End file.
